Govt names simultaneous polls panel; Adhir opts out

NEW DELHI: The Union government on Saturday formally announced the committee that will study the feasibility of having simultaneous elections across the country, notifying the names of home minister Amit Shah from the government and Congress lawmaker Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, though the opposition leader later declined to join the panel.

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

The committee was announced with eight members in all, headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, and the notification set out its terms of reference. The panel has been mandated to commence functioning "immediately" and make "recommendations at the earliest".

In addition to Shah and Chowdhury, who is the leader of the single largest party in Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the names included that of former Congressman Ghulam Nabi Azad; the former chairman of the 15th Finance Commission, NK Singh; former secretary-general of Lok Sabha, Subhash C Kashyap; senior advocate Harcontinued on ish Salve; and former chief vigilance commissioner Sanjay Kothari.

Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will attend the meetings of the committee as a special invitee while Niten Chandra, secretary in the department of legal affairs, will act as the secretary to the committee.

"I have no hesitation whatsoever in declining to serve on the committee whose terms of reference have been prepared in a manner to guarantee its conclusions. It is, I am afraid, a total eyewash," Chowdhury said in a letter addressed to Shah.

Chowdhury, as well as his Congress party that issued a statement hours earlier, criticised the absence of party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who is the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, in the list of names.

The notification outlined. seven items as part of its agenda, or terms of reference.